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.All Trips / Florida / North America / Southeastern USA
Rambling around Key West’s Historic Waterfront
Key West is one of the older cities in the United States and that history is especially reflected around it’s old waterfront region. There are several older buildings here, like the above featured U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, now a shopping arcade.
The old waterfront reminds me a little of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Warf. There are quirky attractions like the Shipwreck Treasures Museum, which includes a viewing platform that is one of the tallest points in Key West.
Key West has an old small aquarium that’s interesting to visit……
Tagged harbor, key west, waterfront
“Pic of the Week”, July 2, 2021: Pinelands Trail, Everglades National Park
Pinelands Trail is located seven miles (11 km) from the southern park entrance. It’s a fairly short trail, just 0.4 miles (650 m), and you walk on a pavement or boardwalk so it’s easy to do. It’s also handicap accessible.
I think this walk is a great way to experience this unique ecocystem of the Everglades up close. The ground is swampy but home to a forest which contains pines, saw palmettos, and assorted wildflowers — quite a bit different than the “river of grass” which dominates this landscape.
There are many better places for alligator viewing than from this boardwalk — to this end I recommend Shark Valley. We visited Pinelands Trail in December and there were …
Jul 1, 2021
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.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame
It’s hard for non-Canadians to understand just how popular ice hockey is in Canada. It’s bigger than football (soccer) in Europe. Bigger than cricket in India. Bigger even than NFL or college football in the USA. Canadians consider hockey to be THEIR game, and that is reflected in Canadian culture. If two Canadians meet somewhere, chances are they’ll probably talk about hockey.
Most young boys (and probably girls today) learn to skate, hold a hockey stick, and handle a puck while you skate. When I was in grade school, my friends and I would often play hockey on a small patch of ice my dad made for us every winter. We were clearly amateurs, but it was a lot of fun …
Tagged hockey, Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto
“Pic of the Week”, June 25, 2021: Family of Man, Calgary
The “Family of Man” is a grouping of 10 sculptures crafted in aluminum, 6.5 m (21 feet) tall. It was created for display at the British Pavilion during Montreal’s Expo 67. After Expo 67 concluded, the sculptures were bought by Maxwell Cummings and Sons and donated to the city of Calgary. A committee picked a spot in downtown (1st Street and 5th Ave SE) close to the Calgary Board of Education, where they have been on display since.
The sculptures were designed by Spanish artist Mario Armengol. Their arrangement is different than it was in Montreal, now forming a circle of naked, raceless individuals.
The attraction is surprisingly popular. I’ve still not decided how I feel about it.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, …
Jun 24, 2021
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“Pic of the Week”, June 18, 2021: Key West’s Old Custom House
One of the most impressive buildings in Key West’s historic seaport is the old Custom House, today the Key West Museum of Art & History.
Key West was an important and growing city in 19th century Florida. Authorities saw the need for a proper Custom House and authorized its construction in 1885, adjacent to the U.S. Naval base. It was completed in 1891 and became home to the island’s customs office, postal service, and district courts.
In 1932, the building transferred to the U.S. Navy and became headquarters for their Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico operations. The Navy no longer needed the building in the 1950s and it was abandoned for many years. Despite being abandoned, it was placed on the National …
Jun 17, 2021
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.All Trips / Central USA / North America / Utah
Salt Lake City’s McCune Mansion
One of the most memorable buildings in Salt Lake City is this lovely mansion sitting atop a small hill in the city’s downtown. The house was built by Alfred and Elizabeth McCune in 1900. It was intended to be an extravagant place and they were successful in achieving this. It’s inspired by a home the McCunes had seen in New York City.
The home site was chosen because of how it rose above the street. The exterior is made of red Utah sandstone. Interior decorations included mahogany from San Domingo, oak from England, red roof tiles from the Netherlands, mirrors from Germany, and Russian leather. The home was completed in 1901 at a cost of one million dollars — adjusted …
Tagged McCune Mansion, Salt Lake City
“Pic of the Week”, June 4, 2021: Ray’s Seafood Restaurant, Seward
An excellent restaurant to consider when visiting Seward is Ray’s. Situated on the city’s beautiful harbor, it offers terrific views of the boats as they move about and the mountains of the Kenai peninsula. Ray’s has been a winner of the Alaska Best Restaurant Award.
The seafood was so good at Ray’s that we ate both dinners we were in town here.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Jun 3, 2021
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.All Trips / Alberta / Car Culture / Central Canada / North America
Great Cars along the Highway: 1930 Ford Model A
Ford released the Model A following a successful 18 year production run of its Model T, which was becoming a little technologically outdated. The Model A was released in late 1927. It was well received and in less than two years, Ford had sold two million Model A’s.
Over the years of Model A production, Ford released a number of different color and body style options, with the sales price ranging from around $400 up to $1400 depending on how the car was configured. Besides in the USA, the Model A was also made in almost a dozen foreign plants ranging from Argentina to Japan to Germany. So it enjoyed global success.
Model A production ended in 1932, after nearly 5 million …
